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On the beat with countryside cops

Judy Hobson
Environment Correspondent, BBC North West
BBC PC Gallagher speaking to the camera, surrounded by his liveried police car and green fieldsBBC
PC Luke Gallagher says local farmers and landowners are more likely to trust rural specialists

A police force has doubled the size of its rural crime team as it aims to tackle issues that affect communities in the countryside.

The rural crime team in south Lancashire includes specialist officers trying to combat crimes such as machinery theft, hare coursing and heritage crime.

Lancashire was one of the first police forces in the country to have a dedicated rural team, with other areas now following suit.

PC Sean Dalby said the force wanted to "make sure that people don't come into Lancashire and think it is an easy target in the rural areas" because "it is not".

About 70% of Lancashire is rural, where more than 20% of the county's communities live.

Since the team's formation in 2021, officers have seized 194 stolen vehicles or plant machinery, and arrested 57 people across the county.

Gangs have also been targeting rural communities by stealing GPS navigation systems worth about £20,000.

Farmer John Forshaw, in a dark beanie hat and top, talks to the two policemen by the side of their liveried car at his farm
Farmer John Forshaw has been the target of thieves who stole four GPS systems worth about £80,000 overall

While driving through flat plains in the south of the county, PC Dalby said: "People in the rural communities feel isolated, so they feel a lot more supported when they know they have got a team like ourselves that will help them and that we're specialists in the countryside."

PC Luke Gallagher, another member of the team, added: "A lot of farmers are very traditional and now that they've seen us, they get to trust us and divulge information."

liveried police car driving along a dirt track on a field, lined with grass
Lancashire Constabulary has increased the size of its rural crime team

Currently it is the traditional season for hare coursing, which is illegal, but PCs Dalby and Gallagher are scanning the fields to see if dogs are being used to pursue the animals.

"You've got to think of the welfare of the hare," PC Dalby said, as he highlighted the impact of "these people who crash through gates, go through hedges and then drive through crops".

The team works closely with farmers, gamekeepers and landowners and it's proved successful with hare coursing crimes dropping by 60% since 2021.

Other challenges include cuckooing, where criminals bully farmowners into using their home for growing cannabis.

PC Dalby opens door ofyellow and blue liveried police car
PC Dalby says people in rural communities sometimes feel "isolated"

Another crime affecting rural areas has been the theft of GPS navigation systems - worth up to £20,000 - from the top of tractors.

PC Dalby said they had been investigating a gang since 2021 and arrested two people in the past six months.

Farmer John Forshaw, from whom thieves stole four navigation systems worth £80,000, said it had "a big impact – it's not just the theft of it, it's replacing it."

"These [police] guys just showing their faces around here has had a massive impact on rural crime for us."

He said this had also led to a "massive decrease" in fly-tipping locally.

Ch Insp James Neale added: "It is important that we recognise that there is a difference in terms of rural needs and the issues that affect them and seeing the results."

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